CHRIS CORNELL’s Family Questioning Coroner’s Report; Wife Vicky Issues Emotional Statement
May 19, 2017, 7 years ago
52-year-old Soundgarden frontman, Chris Cornell, died yesterday (Thursday, May 18th) in Detroit, the cause of death determined by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office as “hanging by suicide”.
A report from Variety reveals that Cornell’s family has issued a statement questioning the coroner’s report that the singer intentionally took his own life.
“Without the results of toxicology tests, we do not know what was going on with Chris - or if any substances contributed to his demise,” the Cornell family said.
The vocalist had a prescription for Ativan, the family shared, and may have taken a higher dosage that impaired his judgement. Attorney Kirk Pasich noted that Ativan can cause paranoid or suicidal thoughts and slurred speech. Ativan is a tranquilizer and anti-anxiety medication that is sometimes used as a sleeping aid.
Cornell was a recovering addict and had allegedly been sober since 2002. His wife, Vicky, said in an emotional statement, “Chris’s death is a loss that escapes words and has created an emptiness in my heart that will never be filled. As everyone who knew him commented, Chris was a devoted father and husband.”
She said Cornell flew home from Soundgarden’s tour the weekend before to spend time with his wife and children, before returning to the mid-west.
Read the full report at Variety.com.
Chris Cornell was found dead in his hotel bathroom at 12:05 AM, ET on Thursday. Soundgarden had played a show just hours before at Detroit’s Fox Theater. Fan-filmed video of his final performance can be seen below:
